Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (TV Series 1973–1978) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em 30min Accident-prone Frank Spencer fails to navigate the simplest tasks of daily life, while also trying to look after his wife and baby. Stars: Frank boards the train for his second honeymoon -the first time he landed in the wrong town. At the hotel, things start go really wrong when he tries to push the single beds together, gradually ... 8.6 The Spencers are moving, as the council sees no other hope for the house Frank has been wrecking with his 'repairs' for years, as dramatically proven when they leave. Betty drives too fast, so the ... 8.5 Because Frank passed out in the only fatherhood class he attended, after one minute of the 'dirty film', Betty takes him along to a cousin's daughters, who only enjoy his inadvertent monkey-business,...

8.4 a list of 30 titles created 12 Jun 2011 a list of 33 titles created 27 Sep 2012 a list of 35 titles created 03 Jan 2013 a list of 24 titles created 26 Dec 2013 a list of 33 titles created 15 Oct 2014 Title: Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973–1978) 7.7/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Classic 1960s British comedy series about a middle aged man and his elderly father who run an unsuccessful 'rag and bone' business (collecting and selling junk). Harold (the son) wants to ... See full summary » Stars: Wilfrid Brambell, Harry H. Corbett, Frank Thornton Victor Meldrew is a retiree who attracts bad luck. If he's not driving his long suffering wife Margeret crazy with his constant moaning, he's fighting with neighbors.

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Disillusioned after a long career at Sunshine Desserts, Perrin goes through a mid-life crisis and fakes his own ... See full summary » Stars: Leonard Rossiter, Pauline Yates, John Barron Edit Storyline Frank Spencer is more than just a complete klutz. Everything he touches falls apart, and he can't keep a job for more than a day. The only thing that keeps him going is his long-suffering wife Betty, who somehow manages to cope with his disaster-prone life-style. Written by Mike Konczewski 15 February 1973 (UK) See more » Also Known As: Anyám büszke lehet See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia In 2016, Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice returned as Frank and Betty for the first time in 38 years for Sports Relief. Which Frank and Betty attend Jessica's cycle race. See more » Goofs Christmas '75 - Learning to Drive (special episode). When Frank is driving the white mini in the country lane, trying to overtake the lady on the bike, there is nothing behind the mini, but then a split second later he is being followed by a silver Renault.

As he tries to overtake the cyclist, Frank is followed by a brown Triumph, then a second later a yellow Ford Anglia is following him. Frank also appears to drive along the same stretch of road several times, as he keeps passing the same parked cars. See more » Connections BBC - Comedy - Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em "Ooh Betty, the cat's done a woopsie on the floor". That single phrase, repeated across the country throughout the 1970s by impressionists dressed in dark beret and raincoat, probably did more to harm the reputation of one of the decade's most successful sitcoms than the arrival of punk and alternative comedy ever could. Written by Raymond Allen, Some Mothers was the story of Frank Spencer, the well-meaning, ineffectual and utterly accident-prone mummy's boy of the title. Endowed by star Michael Crawford with an effete manner, a nervous laugh and a desperate need to please, Frank was the sweetest walking disaster area you could ever want to meet.

Though the BBC had wanted Norman Wisdom or Ronnie Barker for the role, Crawford was the perfect choice, combining an air of innocence with the youth and athleticism necessary to perform some of the biggest and most dangerous stunts British comedy would ever see. He and Allen also improvised many of Frank's mannerisms, from the bug-eyed smile that causes a shop assistant to leap back in horror (incidentally destroying a window display) early in the very first episode to the dreaded "Ooh Betty" catchphrase that was to become lodged in Britain's collective psyche. The show's storylines amounted to little more than set-ups for a series of increasingly spectacular stunts. Many episodes begin with Frank at home with long-suffering wife, Betty. Ably played by Michelle Dotrice, Betty's deep love for her husband was never quite enough to cover the constant anxiety she (like anyone else) felt in his presence, leading many of her lines to begin with a high-pitched "Ohhhhh Fraaaa-aaank". From this domestic bliss Frank would be catapulted into the world of disaster by the search for a new job, the need to pass a driving test, a sudden enthusiasm for DIY or even, on one occasion, an RAF reunion.

The stunts these set-ups led to rivalled anything from Buster Keaton or Harold Lloyd. Among the most memorable were an audition to be a holiday camp "bluecoat" that ended with a life-threatening human fireworks display, a daytrip that culminated in Frank hanging from the exhaust of his little Morris Minor as it teetered on a cliff edge and an extended roller-skate ride that saw our hero crashing through doors, smashing through shops and even skating under a passing lorry. Some Mothers ran for only 22 episodes over three series from 1973. By the end of series two Frank had become the doting father of baby Jessica. Apart from two Christmas specials, the show then had a long gap to its final series in 1978 while Crawford went off to pursue other projects. In his last outing, Frank the dad was a noticeably more self-confident and rather less sympathetic character than before; given to pompous turns of phrase and frequent malapropisms ("I was ejaculated from my home"). The times had also changed and Frank's physical comedy was beginning to seem old-fashioned. And then there were all those dreadful impressions.

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (Series) - TV Tropes Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share Series / Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em × Timeline Uh-oh, we're in trouble/Something's come along and it's burst our bubble. Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em was a British Sitcom that originally aired on the BBC from 1973 to 1978, starring Michael Crawford as the hapless Frank Spencer. It was written by Raymond Allen, based on his own experiences as a single man . However, upon seeing the first draft for the script, Michael Crawford insisted that Frank have a wife. Michele Dotrice was then cast as the long-suffering Betty. The series saw the well-meaning but disaster-prone Frank Spencer get himself into sticky situations, often causing someone else to break down or causing an unintentional path of destruction . Usually the episodes contained a character who is familiar with Spencer warning another character about working with him, but Frank always proves to be more of a burden than initially feared. The series also focussed on Frank's role as a family man.

Hence, it featured a Story Arc where Betty becomes pregnant and eventually gives birth to a girl, Jessica. Episodes generally include stunt work performed by Crawford himself, often highly physical, that today would be unusual in an inexpensive half-hour Sitcom . With such a denouement in mind, typical plot lines involve picnics on high cliffs, driving lessons by the sea, household repairs, or a wide variety of new jobs such as motorcycle courier or high-rise window cleaner. It returned for a sketch in 2016's Sports Relief telethon, with the 74 year old Crawford still doing his own stunts, as he attempted to get to the London Velodrome to see Jessica (now an adult) take part in a cycle race. It was voted #22 in Britain's Best Sitcom . This series provides examples of: Accent Upon The Wrong Syllable : Frank uses "Ha-RASS-ed" instead of the traditionally British "HA-rassed". The effect of the joke has somewhat weakened in recent years due to the growing usage of the American pronunciation. Accidental Pun : In "The Job Interview": "I do try Betty...

no-one can be more trying than me..." Adorkable : Frank is this — his persistent optimism and unwillingness to cause any harm to others exemplify this trope. Badass Longcoat : Frank's trademark trenchcoat. British Brevity : The entire series is composed of three seasons (Season 1 had seven episodes, the other two had six) and three Christmas specials - a grand total of 22 episodes . Captain Obvious : "Does he know what time it is?! The only reason I'm still awake is because I'm not asleep." The Cast Show Off : Michael Crawford performed all his own stunts in the show, also demonstrating his singing chops in "Frank and Marvin". Character Development : Frank receives some in Season 3, becoming more self-assured and sophisticated as well as slowly growing into his role as a husband and father. His voice even becomes a little deeper . Christmas Episode : "Jessica's First Christmas", "Learning to Drive" and "Learning to Fly" — although "Learning to Fly" has no Christmas theme and is deemed to be a Christmas special simply because it aired during the Christmas period.

Corpsing : One noticeable example occurs in "Wendy House" where Richard Wilson plays an insurance assessor who calls on Frank and Betty. All three sit on a sofa to discuss the situation and Wilson slowly sinks down into it so that he barely manages to come up to Crawford's shoulders. Michele Dotrice cannot stifle her laughter and this, in turn, causes both Crawford and Wilson to corpse. After a few seconds all three manage to pick up the script again and the take is retained in the finished edit. Crash Course Landing : Frank is forced to make one after his instructor passes out mid-flight in "Learning to Fly". Critical Psychoanalysis Failure : A psychiatrist tries to goes to convince Frank that he's not a failure. By the end of the episode, the psychiatrist is a nervous wreck, and Frank is delighted to have been proved right - he is a failure. Disaster Dominoes : Every. Single. Time . In "George's House" from Series 1, Frank and Betty are staying with Betty's brother George, whose house is completely fitted with gadgets that work using motion sensors .

While trying to use the toilet without triggering the sensor that opens the door, Frank accidentally sets off the automatic flush, which gets stuck in the "on" position. His attempts to find the cistern cause the toilet to become blocked, until water pours into the bathroom and ultimately into the house's main control room. The circuits short out and the gadgets go haywire, just as George's boss is trying to persuade an American client to sign a contract to build other houses like George's. As the episode ends, the American client has driven off in a rage, George's wife is stuck in a downstairs window, smoke is pouring out of one upstairs window, and a jet of water is shooting out of another upstairs window, while Frank and Betty wonder if anyone noticed anything. Perhaps the crowning example is the Series 1 episode "Have a Break, Take a Husband"; Frank and Betty go to a seaside B&B for a second honeymoon, but their room has twin beds rather than a double bed, and Frank, having already inadvertently led the proprietor to suspect that he and Betty are not really married, decides to push the beds together rather than asking for a different room.

However, the bed snags on the cheap linoleum and tears a hole in it, which Frank tries to cover up. By the end of the episode, through a combination of his own ineptitude and the room's shoddy construction, he has torn a floor mat in half, broken several drawers apart, broken the door off the wardrobe, smashed a hole through the floor in the middle of the room, convinced a nervous fellow guest that his dead grandfather is trying to contact him, put two more holes in the floor under the bed, ripped the washbasin from the wall, and demolished the hotel bar as he and Betty make a midnight getaway. Drives Like Crazy : In "Learning To Drive", when Frank takes his Driving Test (for the tenth time) but ends up driving the car off a pier into the sea. Also, the famous motorbike sequence in "King of the Road". Men Can't Keep House : Invoked in "The Job Interview" and in the flashbacks of "The Psychiatrist". Mooning : An unintentional example. At the very end of "Scottish Dancing", Frank's kilt suddenly falls down to reveal he is not wearing any underwear.

Michael Crawford and the director of the episode initially rehearsed the scene with Crawford wearing Union Jack underwear to elicit the right reaction from the rest of the cast during filming. Moral Guardians : Mary Whitehouse was an outspoken critic of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, at one point calling Frank Spencer a "purveyor of pornography"... just because he alluded to some downstairs trouble in one episode. Frank does indeed (unknowingly) become a literal purveyor of pornography during his job as a motorbike carrier. Frank also quietly assumes this role in "Men as Women" when he discovers Dr Mender, in full drag, in his house. Studio Audience Title Theme Tune : The theme tune is the show's title in Morse Code. Trash the Set : Practically in every episode, but this trope is the focal point of the episode "Have a Break, Take a Husband", where the hotel room starts with torn linoleum and ends up with several holes in the floor, most of the furniture destroyed, and finally the sink ripped off the wall. The Un-Smile : Frank's attempt at practising a polite smile in "The Job Interview" manages to knock an employee into the pipes display.

Vandalism Backfire : The series used this trope several times in episodes where Frank accidentally provokes someone to a destructive but inaccurately targeted fit of anger. In "The Public Relations Course", while spending the night at the house at which the title course is being held, Frank sits on his hot water bottle, causing it to spring a leak. He leaves the room to take a phone call, leaving the hot water bottle on a chair next to the bed of Eddie, a coursemate who has taken Frank under his wing. When he comes back, he accidentally squirts water from the leak into a militant coursemate's face, and in revenge, the militant empties the bottle all over what he thinks is Frank's bed, ignoring Frank's protests as Eddie returns from the bathroom. As Frank sheepishly gets into his own bed and wishes Eddie good night, Eddie attacks the militant for soaking his bed. In the 1974 Christmas special, "Jessica's First Christmas", Frank gets a job at the same firm as his neighbour, Mr Jackson, who is already angry at Frank over the fact that his one-year-old daughter cries loudly every night.

At one point, Frank finds Jackson's folded coat and thinks he sees something moving under it, so he puts a lit pipe under it to smoke out the "animal", setting fire to it, and then further ruining it by soaking it in water. When Jackson sees the damage done to his coat, he empties tea into the bag Frank is carrying... which turns out to be the head of the firm's bag. In "Australia House", an argument between Frank and his next-door neighbour, Mr Lewis, results in the two of them demanding the return of borrowed gardening implements, including a hoe Frank borrowed from Mr Lewis. After the argument escalates to the point that Frank accidentally knocks down the fence Mr Lewis put up between their gardens to keep the Spencers' dog from defecating in his garden, Mr Lewis grabs the hoe and saws it in half, not realising it is his own until Frank points it out. Enraged, Mr Lewis throws the pieces aside... straight through the glass of his greenhouse. Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em characters - British Comedy Guide Played by: Michael Crawford Accident-prone Frank lives with his wife Betty and in the third series, with their baby daughter Jessica.

No matter what he's doing or what job he's in, Frank always manages to cause chaos, with hilarious consequences. His marriage to Betty seems solid enough, but Frank's relationship with his mother-in-law has never exactly been a good one. Betty Spencer Played by: Michele Dotrice As Frank's long suffering wife, Betty manages to keep her cool thoughout Frank's various harrassments and situations. Betty's mother, Beryl Fisher, wanted her to marry someone other than Frank (in fact anyone but Frank). New Some mothers do 'av 'em series set to come back next year | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV | Daily Express TV & RADIO Frank Spencer returning: Some Mothers are about to 'ave 'em again! Nearly four decades after he last blundered on screen as Frank Spencer, Michael Crawford could bring back his most famous role next year.

12:52, Tue, Oct 6, 2015 | UPDATED: 13:20, Tue, Oct 6, 2015 SCOPE Michele Dotrice as Betty with Michael Crawford as Frank He was the calamity-prone, beret-wearing buffoon who made Britain tingle with his camp comic innocence, curious nasal voice and cries of “Ooh Betty” as yet another self-propelled disaster befell him in his thwarted attempts to look after his family, run a home and hold down a job. Actor Michael Crawford, 73, made his name as Frank Spencer in the BBC’s cult 1970s sitcom Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em before going on to carve out an enormously successful second career in musical theatre – most notably in Barnum and then Phantom Of The Opera. But the TV show was so popular – the 1975 Christmas special was watched by 25.6 million viewers – that YouTube clips of Frank’s misadventures attract tens of thousands of hits every year. This means that 40 years on a new generation is discovering his incompetence – from exploding steak and kidney pies to driving off the end of a pier.

Now there are rumours the show could soon be back after Michele Dotrice who played Betty hinted at a remake in a recent interview to promote her latest West End stage show. Asked if she had plans to work with Crawford again she said, “Well, I can’t really say but yes. Possibly next year but I can’t really say anything about it.” Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em was first broadcast in 1973 and ran for three series ending in 1978. Whether sliding down a bowling lane and becoming trapped behind the pin replacement mechanism or falling out of a window, part of the show’s great appeal was that Crawford did all his own stunts. Even the legendary roller-skating episode where he attached himself to a double-decker bus and zipped James Bond-style beneath a lorry. But Crawford has revealed he wasn’t first choice to play the hapless Frank. Related articles GETTY Michael Crawford in 2013 I don’t think we even read the script. We just laughed a lot and that continued throughout Michele Dotrice “Norman Wisdom and Ronnie Barker had already turned it down so I was third in line,” he says.

“That’s often happened to me but I started to read it and saw the possibilities of the humour and bringing stunts in and marrying him [to Betty], and they said yes we could do that.” Barker had turned it down on the basis that he considered himself a “word comedy” man and didn’t do “physical stuff”. Crawford did, however, and he drew on the physical comedy he had developed in the theatrical farce No Sex Please, We’re British. The series was dreamed up by Raymond Allen who had penned sketches for Dave Allen and Frankie Howerd. He also had a “proper” job cleaning his local cinema where a eccentric named Frank Spencer would always ask him inane questions about the films being shown. Frustrated that more than 40 of his full-length scripts had been turned down, Allen realised that this man was comic gold. He also wove elements of himself into the mix following advice from one rejection letter. His character had few friends and was a mummy’s boy.

The final series was written by Allen based on Crawford’s ideas and not by Crawford himself as is sometimes reported but such was Crawford’s impromptu input that Allen remarked dryly on one occasion, “It was nice of you to use some of my words.” WENN Michele Dotrice who played Frank's long-suffering wife BBC Michael Crawford performed his own stunts as Frank in the 70s Self-appointed media watchdog Mary Whitehouse lambasted the character of Frank as a “purveyor of pornography” for his habit of pulling at the top of his leg while complaining of an unspecified digestive or urinary problem. But this did nothing to hinder the show’s popularity and famous character actors lined up to appear in each episode including Christopher Timothy, George Baker and Richard Wilson. Worried about typecasting, Crawford turned down a fourth series despite allegedly being offered a joint contract by the BBC and a foreign broadcaster, thought to be Australian. The 22 episodes of the show lived on in the public consciousness however due to Frank’s popularity with impressionists Mike Yarwood, Bobby Davro and Lenny Henry. They were largely responsible for popularising the catchphrase “Ooh Betty”, which was in fact only ever said once by Frank, in the second series.

When filming the show Crawford had to perform certain scenes repeatedly in front of the extras and other actors until they no longer seemed funny. Even then some takes were still ruined by someone giggling in the background. “From the moment I walked in the door we didn’t stop laughing,” recalls Dotrice. “I don’t think we even read the script. We just laughed a lot and that continued throughout.” If her hopes come true the laughter hasn’t stopped yet. Related articles Sport Relief: Who is Frank Spencer played by Michael Crawford? What is Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em? And that film Wall-E really loves... The film's called Hello Dolly and the song is Put On Your Sunday Clothes. But probably not Condor Man... Frank was a little bit camp and known for catchphrases like "Ooh, Betty"... ...and "the cat''s done a whoopsie in my beret". During the 70s every impressionist on TV – and there were a lot of them – used to do Frank Spencer, mostly by putting on a beret and a mac and saying "Ooh, Betty!" Betty was Frank's loyal but long-suffering wife Betty was played by Michele Dotrice.

Frank was well meaning but hapless; a one-man disaster area... He was always trying out new jobs to support his family, and always losing them after getting into scrapes like this... ...and this... Frank loved his baby daughter Jessica and used to sing lullabies to get her to sleep... Jessica was always represented by some random footage of a baby that had clearly been shot in a completely different place and time... The theme tune to Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em was as brilliantly haphazard as Frank himself Like Jackie Chan, Michael Crawford was known for doing all his own stunts. Look at this amazing action montage: And, at the age of 74, he'll be doing this for Sport Relief Please give generously, Frank and Betty really need the money... "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em" Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb trailers and videos full cast and crew trivia official sites memorable quotes Overview 12 out of 12 people found the following review useful: Makes You Laugh Until You Can Barely Breathe!

from Australia 23 April 2005 Some Mothers Do Have 'Em is an immensely entertaining comedy about a grown man who is such a klutz that everywhere he goes,trouble is bound to follow.Portrayed by Michael Crawford,Frank Spencer is a bumbling idiot whose hilarious predicaments always end in disaster,with everything he touches falling apart.The hilarity comes from his endless quest for employment be it a pipe salesman,a chicken farmer,a window cleaner afraid of heights,a ventriloquist,a postman,and the list goes on and on as Frank creates the ultimate hell in the workplace,seriously irritating everyone he comes into contact with.One person who does tolerate him however is his patient unconditionally loving wife,Betty,played by the beautiful Michele Dotrice.Dotrice is a doll on camera,always managing to look cute in colorful frocks and pigtails.She has an endless amount of patience for Frank,the high pitch voiced walking disaster.The physical comedy performed by Crawford will have you in stitches.The humor comes from watching the antics of a man so incompetent,who has good intentions all the time but never fails to cause a catastrophe.Some Mothers Do Have Em is the type of show where everything that can go wrong,does.Nothing is ever simple,and uncomplicated when Frank Spencer

 is around.

I am now delighted to have the entire series of this brilliant comedy on DVD. Was the above review useful to you? 15 out of 18 people found the following review useful: What a crazy show!!!!! from Crane Hill, Alabama 13 February 1999 I have only been viewing this series for a few weeks. I am addicted to them, They are just crazy, Mad. I thought Peter Sellars was the best comic in the U.K., but Michael is fantastic. Then I found out HE was THE Michael Crawford/Phantom of the Opera STAR. I can't believe the two are the same. We are talking about two ends of the spectrum of talent. I am a fan for life. I am going to scarf up as many videos as I can. Are the Brits just so talented or are they using mirrors or something? What great entertainment!!!! Was the above review useful to you? 7 out of 8 people found the following review useful: Entertaining from Ile-de-France / Paris Region, France 29 August 2004 Entertaining British Comedy from the 70s. I have two of the series on DVD.

Frank's character can get frustrating at times and it is something the viewer just has to get used to. Some of his stunts were very impressive indeed. Michele Dotrice is amazing with her unflappability ! One of the best is where Frank has to act in a play. Certainly one of the better comedies of the seventies and anyway a cut above all the rubbish comedy ( if you can call it comedy ) nowadays ! Was the above review useful to you? 7 out of 8 people found the following review useful: One of the funniest shows around. Michael Crawford is BRILLIANT. from London, England 13 November 2001 Some Mothers Do 'Ave Them is one of the funniest shows EVER. Michael Crawford is just brilliant. Michael is an amazing actor and writer and always keeps everyone, including me, laughing all the way through his shows, films, etc. I give Some Mothers Do 'Ave Them a 10/10. This is an absolutely brilliant show. Was the above review useful to you? 9 out of 12 people found the following review useful: Crawford shone in this brilliant British comedy!

from Hamilton, Australia 24 June 2002 Nearly 30 years ago, a skinny, 30 something unproven British comedian called Michael Crawford, graced our screens in a show with a funny name, but with no huge raps. But after just a few screenings, Frank Spencer was a star, an idiot too, but hey I would not have minded being in his comical shows, because he was hilarious. This show would have to go down as one of the top comedy show to have come out of England, which made people laugh all over the world. Meet Frank Spenser. He is the world's most clumsiest person, someone who people are out to try and avoid at all cost. Everything he touches falls apart, and he can't keep a job for more than a day. The only thing that keeps him going is his long-suffering wife Betty, who somehow manages to cope with his disaster-prone life-style. I remember watching this show as a youngster, and did it make me laugh. All of Franks Spenser's idiotic lines and antics were a good chance to allow myself escape my own crazy' world. That is the great part about this character.

He must have had a huge affect on many walks of life, including the young, sick and elderly, who at some stage needed a laugh to forget there blues they were suffering in life. I think that most people see a lot of Frank Spenser in themselves, that I am sure is one of the reasons why he is still so popular today. Then think about the man behind Frank, that being Michael Crawford. He is a talent, who makes the screen a different experience. For memory, I really loved how he would jump onto our screens and say good mornin'. Then as we get to love his antics, Frank is adored more and more. Crawford was born to be like this, yet he also had another calling in life. I am of course talking about being the leading man in the Andrew Lloyd Webber music sensation, The Phantom Of The Opera'. From all reports he was brilliant as the Phantom', and I can see why. Then take his onscreen partner on Some mothers, that being Michelle Dotrice. She was incredible as the patient and ever reliable Betty. I would be betting that she would have had some funny moments on set with Michael. She was a perfect choice as Betty.

Then take some of the episodes that this show had. When Betty is in hospital after giving birth to the Spenser's first child it was hilarious what Frank went through while living on his own. I can always remember the catch cry of plus, I blew the pudding up'. But he was also so funny, in many situations that would usually require a please answer'. Going through walls, crashing cars, cooking disasters in the kitchen are all traits that Frank was jinxed to live with. I am not so sure that anyone would like to have that bad a luck. Yet a few years later a funny man, with about the same amount of luck as Frank, graced our screens, that being the hilarious Mr. Bean'. He was played by Rowan Atkinson, who like Crawford is a comedy genius, although his character was greatly different to Frank Spenser. With no voice, he made it up in silly antics and stupid little scenarios that he got himself into, that again had people crying in laughter all over the world. It is no wonder that Atkinson is British as well. What is it that makes these men so funny over in England, the water or what?

In summary, last year in Australia, we were lucky to see Michael Crawford in a one on one interview with popular Australian TV journalist, Ray Martin. In this interview we got to see not only how funny Michael was and still is, but how compassionate he is toward many charities and what a terrific vocalist he is. We are really lucky to have had someone like Frank Spencer on our small screens, because if we didn't, we might never have met the remarkable man behind the fool, called Michael Crawford. Was the above review useful to you? 4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: laughed till I cried from United States 10 April 2005 I got my first taste of this series recently. The comedy is side-splitting, especially when you realize that is the very intense "Phantom of the Opera" on your screen with that innocent look on his face making a complete disaster of everything. I can't wait to see more episodes. The episodes I saw, about a second honeymoon and an RAF reunion, were laugh-out-loud hilarious. The comedy is very physical. Crawford has astounding delivery. He looks so young and different from the way he did when international stardom hit him.

My sister lived in England and was a fan of this series, and I can still remember how astonished she was that Crawford was taken so seriously after Phantom. She, and millions of others, knew him as the hapless Frank Spencer, the man with "troubles." Was the above review useful to you? 5 out of 6 people found the following review useful: Ooooooh Betty!!!!! from Liverpool, ENGLAND 17 May 2001 I loved this comedy when I was a child and I still love it now as I watch it over again. Although quite tacky and extremely dated, I love this! It's so much fun to watch and although tacky, it's also very watchable. You'll laugh out loud as the accident-prone Frank Spencer launches from one disaster to another! Michele Dotrice is good as Betty as well. In my opinion this is Michael Crawford's best work simply because it's so funny watching him as Frank and him doing his own stunts when he's skating, driving, falling, flying etc! Great British comedy with loads of slapstick situations and extremely fun to watch! 9/10 - Fantastic! Was the above review useful to you?

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: A jolly good comedy 3 June 2007 *** This review may contain spoilers *** This is up there with my favorite comedy shows. The classic British 70s show features the hilarious antics of Frank Spencer and the reactions of his wife, Betty. Although much of the humor is slapstick and there isn't much deep meaningful satire, the efforts of Michael Crawford in doing most of his own stunts and the absolutely ridiculous ways that Frank messes everything he tries up are quite funny. I saw every episode on repeat, including the Christmas specials and have to say that it remains quite fresh and funny to this day. If only they still made comedies like that rather than the photocopied modern British stuff!- 10/10 Was the above review useful to you? 4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: To be perfectly Frank... 20 August 2006 *** This review may contain spoilers *** The early 1970's was a great time for British television comedy, particularly the B.B.C.'s output.

Alongside 'Dad's Army', 'Steptoe & Son', 'Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?', 'Dave Allen At Large', 'The Goodies', and, of course, 'Monty Python's Flying Circus', there was also 'Some Mothers Do Ave Em'. The title comes from a popular expression in use at the time - if you witnessed someone making a fool of themselves by say, falling over in the street, you exclaimed: "some mothers do ave em!". The show was the creation of Raymond Allen. It starred Michael Crawford as a walking disaster area called 'Frank Spencer'. Ronnie Barker and Norman Wisdom were offered the role first, but luckily for us, they turned it down. Dressed in a beret and mackintosh, and equipped with one of the most irritating voices imaginable, Frank took on the world each week - and usually lost. He could not keep down a job, sometimes he would be fired on the very first day. Some claim 'Some Mothers Do Ave Em' pokes fun of a retarded man. It does not. Frank is the world's biggest loser, but he is no more retarded than say, 'Mr.Bean'.

The one good thing about his life is that he is happily married to the lovely, loyal 'Betty' ( Michele Dotrice ). At the end of the second series, she gave birth to little Jessica ( Emma Ware, later Jessica Forte ), and the final series in 1978 concluded with the Spencers preparing to emigrate to Australia. Not many episodes were made, but it hardly matters - each is packed with amusing incident, funny dialogue and some of the most amazing stunts ( many performed by Crawford himself ) British television has broadcast. My favourite episode had Frank training to be a P.R. man, and stirring the students into mass revolt. Crawford was hilarious as Frank ( the character was a natural for comic impersonations ), Michele Dotrice marvellous as the long-suffering wife, and the guest-stars included James Cossins, George Baker, Bernard Hepton, Richard Wilson, and Fulton Mackay. Raymond Allen may never have sold another series to the B.B.C., but I'm sure he is not too bothered. The fact that Miranda Hart is struggling unsuccessfully to copy it is in itself a compliment. Was the above review useful to you?

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Very funny from paisley, scotland 9 February 2003 Brilliant comedy in the 70's, have watched repeats on uk gold, still as funny as when they were first aired. Micheal Crawford plays a guy who's a walking disaster area, nothing goes right for him, his daft voice is a laugh. The 70's british tv was brilliant when you look at the other comedys that were aired during the 70's they include.... Monty pythons flying circus Fawlty towers On the buses "Carry on" movies Who said the 70's were bad this comedy gets 9/10, Crawford also did all of his own stunts. Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 3: Michael Crawford returning as Frank Spencer in Some Mother's Do 'Av 'Em special | Metro News Tamara Hardingham-Gill for Metro.co.uk Thursday 18 Feb 2016 10:19 am Michael Crawford is back as Frank, alongside Sir Bradley Wiggins, for Sport Relief (Picture: BBC) He’s back!

Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em’s one-man walking disaster Frank Spencer is returning to screens for a charity special of the classic seventies TV show. After months of speculation, Michael Crawford has confirmed he’ll reprise the iconic role in a one-off sketch in aid of Sport Relief, nearly 40 years after the sitcom ended. The skit will see him reunite with actress Michele Dotrice, who played Frank’s long-suffering wife Betty. Olympic cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins is also set to appear in the sketch, which will see Frank causing absolute mayhem in his usual loveable manner. The classic character with his long suffering wife Betty (Michele Dotrice) (Picture: BBC) ‘I am thrilled and delighted to have been asked to bring Frank back,’ Michael, now 74, said in a statement. Meanwhile Sir Bradley, who’s a big fan of the show, says he’s chuffed to be teaming up with the character, whose catchphrase ‘Ooh Betty’ and disaster-prone nature helped him become one of the most popular men on TV. ‘It’s an absolute honour to be involved alongside such an icon of British television,’ says Sir Bradley.

‘And all for a great cause.’ Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em’s Frank Spencer will return to screens for a sketch (Picture: BBC) Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em began in 1973 and ran for three series, ending in 1978 (although the BBC regularly aired repeats of the show over the years). Sport Relief, which takes place every two years, brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in the UK and across the world. The sketch will be screened during Sport Relief Night on March 18 on BBC One from 7pm. Watch a classic clip from the sitcom here: The Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Episode Guide Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em was something of a sitcom oddity. Ask anybody who watched it how long it ran, and how many episodes there were, and estimates will range wildly. In fact it ran for just three brief seasons from 1973 to 1978 (the first two both being confined to the debut year of 1973) and a trio of Christmas specials – all in all, just 22 episodes.

Some Mothers was dreamed up by an Isle Of Wight-based writer, Raymond Allen. Allen eked out a living writing single sketches from home for the likes of Dave Allen and Frankie Howerd. This didn't really bring in enough cash to live on so he also had a "proper" job cleaning his local cinema. Over the years he had submitted over 40 full-length scripts to assorted TV producers, but all had been rejected. Following the advice which accompanied one reject letter, Allen decided his next idea would be firmly based on something he knew about – himself. As a starting point, Allen borrowed some characteristics from a strange man who used to stop by the cinema that Allen cleaned at and ask inane questions about the current films that were playing. Following the advice he had received in the earlier rejection letter, Allen also folded several autobiographical facets into the mix – his character had few friends and suffered from insecurity and depression, as did Allen himself. Allen also still lived at home with his parents and could, in fairness, be called a "mummy's boy". Thus, step by step, the new character was born. Allen "borrowed" his character's name from the strange cinema man, too – Frank Spencer.

Allen's proposal landed on the desk of Michael Mills, Head of Comedy at the BBC, who saw the potential in the idea. Over a series of subsequent meetings, Mills (who had taken on the role as the programme's producer/director) and Allen added in other ingredients to the prototype character. Frank was a walking disaster area – fully competent at being incompetent. Whether it was mending a boiler, auditioning for a job at a holiday camp or transporting a child's playhouse back home – if he could get it wrong, he would get it wrong. He was also given a supreme ability to annoy people. Within the space of a ten-minute conversation, otherwise calm and rational folk could be reduced to tears by Frank's inability to answer any question coherently, or his habit of peppering his responses with long-winded and trivial monologues (usually concerning his childhood). Frank was easily shocked and immensely naïve – any vaguely risqué comment or action would result in a startled "oooh" and a shocked expression. The image was completed by his clothing – his permanent attire was a raincoat and beret worn atop tight trousers and a gaudy tank-top, which he even wore in bed.

Rather surprisingly, the somewhat effeminate Frank Spencer was married. His mild-mannered wife, Betty (played by Michele Dotrice, actually fifth choice of actress after Sinead Cusack, Elisabeth Sladen, Linda Hayden and Nell Curran), seemed to exist on the edge of a nervous breakdown brought on by Frank's almost uninterrupted stints of being out of work and the couple's general lack of money. Nevertheless, she was loyal to him and always took his side when he was being criticised or picked on. The lead part of the series (then being called variously Don't Bring Frank, His Mother Was Just The Same and I Do Try) was offered first to Norman Wisdom (who probably could have had a fair stab at it) but Wisdom ultimately proved to be unavailable for the planned shooting dates. More strangely, it was then offered to Ronnie Barker. Barker turned down the offer based on the fact that he considered himself a "word comedy" man and didn't do "physical stuff". The third choice was Michael Crawford, then appearing on stage, who came with his own ideas on how to interpret the part: "The characterisation I worked out in a play called No Sex Please, We're British.

I thought it was getting a very good reaction and people were laughing at him. There was also a lot of pathos attached to the character so I'd thought I'd like to develop it. He's a strange mixture because he's funny in what he says and also how he behaves but inside he's boiling – he's an incredibly sensitive soul. To play the part properly you've got to know what it feels like when people say things that hurt." Though Raymond Allen was credited with sole responsibility for the scripts, Crawford had a great deal of impromptu input causing Allen to remark dryly on one occasion, "It was nice of you to use some of my words." The series required an amount of action and stunt work to portray Frank's misadventures. When executed properly, these sequences (almost always done by Crawford himself without the use of a stand-in) could be amusing. However, more often than not, BBC economies played their part and the end results were less than they should have been. Having said this, exploits like Frank's wild roller-skate ride through the streets, or his ejection through a church roof by a stage lift, were, and still are, the highlights of the show to many.

There was an amount of public concern about the risky stunts causing producer Michael Mills to comment: "I'm torn between two things here. One is to say, 'Oh it's frightfully dangerous and he shouldn't do it and he's breaking his neck four times a day,' and that sort of thing. But the truth of the matter is that neither Michael nor I are really quite as stupid as we look and we wouldn't do things unless they were very, very carefully prepared and all the possible precautions were being taken. That's my job as the producer and that's his job as an actor – to make sure he doesn't do anything where he's going to kill himself." As with much television in the seventies, self-appointed media watchdog, Mary Whitehouse, found the show displeased her. She attacked the series publicly, describing the Frank Spencer character as "a purveyor of pornography" apparently after his habit of pulling at the top of his leg while complaining of an unspecified problem vaguely in the area of his genitals ("Genitals – that's a very rude word for her to use," pointed out a mid-seventies TV interviewer. "It's a very long word for her to use," retorted Crawford).

In fact, Frank's downstairs "trouble" was understood by the production team simply to be mild incontinence, and nothing sexual at all. At the end of the second series, to everybody's bemusement, Frank managed to father a baby. After a further two lone Christmas specials, Crawford decided to hang up his beret and move onto other projects. He explained: "I wanted to go off and do different things in those days. I didn't want to be owned by the public as a character. They'll demand that you go on and do more and more but I think you have to be very disciplined about your own career and I want to be acting when I'm 60 and 70." Despite Crawford's fears of typecasting, he eventually donned the mac and beret again for a belated third (and last) season in 1978. Some slight changes to his character were made after worried viewers had voiced their fears about Frank as a father. "I decided," said Crawford, "that the original Frank Spencer could be made to grow up a little – to be slightly more sophisticated. Frank had to grow up, after five years, or he would seem a complete idiot.

He is more in command, but still getting things wrong – simply because he is accident-prone. I knew this had to be done very well indeed. Otherwise people would say I should have left while I was ahead." No doubt the pay being offered – £10,000 per episode (an absolutely incredible amount for the time) – also played its part in Crawford's decision to return to the show. Frank Spencer had indeed now grown up – he was more self-assured and often assumed an air of preposterous self-importance (he would answer his name with "I am he"). This behaviour caused him to use words that he didn't understand, and so Spencer now became a Malaprop as well (claiming, for example, to have been "ejaculated" from his home and, on another occasion, threatening to take his medical problems to "Harlot Street"). This last series saw Frank's long-lost grandfather appear from Australia and offer Frank a new life down under working on a sheep station. Crawford subsequently refused the BBC's requests for further Some Mothers despite allegedly being offered a joint contract by the BBC and an foreign broadcaster (probably Australian, where the show was a massive hit) for another five years of episodes.

Just in case, the BBC – who had done financially well out of the show (selling the British version to over 50 countries as well as licensing a new version for German TV) – decided to leave the series oddly open-ended: Frank last being seen taking flying lessons ready for his move to Australia. Crawford moved onto another sitcom, Chalk And Cheese, which was not well received. Thereafter, he concentrated mainly on musical stage shows such as Barnum and Phantom Of The Opera. The spectre of Frank Spencer was kept alive long after the show ended as a fallback for TV impressionists: notably Mike Yarwood and Bobby Davro (the latter of which was spied on British TV some 25 years later still doing Frank Spencer impersonations). Meanwhile, a young Lenny Henry turned in probably the only black version of Frank Spencer! Creator Raymond Allen, meanwhile, had no more hits after Some Mothers despite writing comedy pilot vehicles for the likes of Matthew Kelly, Milo O'Shea, David Kelly and Brian Glover. He did, however, continue to write sketches here and there for comedians like Jimmy Cricket and Little & Large.

Luckily, the episodes of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em were not affected by the BBC's archive purges of the seventies and have been much repeated since, often in disgracefully abbreviated form, on both the terrestrial BBC channels and on satellite. They were also amongst the most successful of the BBC's early home-video releases. In the guide that follows, each of the episodes is listed together with full cast, crew and transmission details, although for the third season the character names were given only in The Radio Times listings magazine and not on screen. I give a synopsis of each episode and some brief critical comment. Each episode is given a star rating out of five relative to the other episodes. The titles given for the episodes were not shown on screen (or, apart from Jessica's First Christmas, used in The Radio Times) and seem to be intended to be descriptive rather than aesthetic. Three different (sometimes incomplete and/or overlapping) sets of assumed titles exist – those used internally by the BBC; those used on the various UK and US home-video/DVD releases; and those used in Kaleidoscope's The British Television Comedy Research Guide.

This guide follows the "official" BBC titles (as listed on the BBC's Videotape Library computer), but the other titles are mentioned in passing. All dates are in European DD/MM/YY format. All initial transmissions were on BBC1 unless otherwise stated. Various mp3 audio clips are included. These will give people who are new to the series some idea of what it was all about, but there is really no substitute for seeing the actual programmes or buying the DVDs, as Crawford's facial expressions were so much part of the programme (as were the stunts, of course!) But, of course, the clips may while away the odd hour or two at work... Most of the images can be clicked on to reveal larger versions. Audio clips:

Question: Who played Frank Spencer’s long suffering wife Betty in the TV series “Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em”?
Answer: Michelle Dotrice